Freefalling
by claudiastar
Summary: When Lily Evans takes a chance on James Potter her faith is unexpectedly rewarded. a fluffy tale of love, flying and vertigo. OneShot, please review


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did Sirius would be alive, Ron and Hermione would be married already and Fred and George would be joint ministers for magic. Good thing I don't eh?

Author's note: I should really be writing the next chapter of Orphan Boy, my major W.I.P, but I'm having serious writer's block on that one and this plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone. So, some Lily and James fluff for you to enjoy. Have fun and please review

"_He's one of those who knows_

_That life is just a leap of faith._

_So spread your arms and hold your breath,_

_And always trust your cape"_

Eric Bibb, the Cape

Freefalling

Or

Lily Evans Takes a Tumble

Lily Evans stood at the top of North Tower wondering what an earth she had let herself in for. _Why why WHY _did she allow James Potter to get to her? Her mother had always told her to coolly ignore teasing. Now it was clear why. If you rose to people's baits you ended up in awkward situations. Like on the top of North Tower on a Saturday morning armed with only a broomstick, preparing to jump off. Of course the fact that she suffered from crippling vertigo did not help matters at all. She hated to admit it but she was petrified. She was a hundred feet in the air with the whole world beneath her like a wide rolling sea stretching out forever and ever. The dark shadow of the forbidden forest, always so huge and menacing before, now seemed like the tiniest splash of paint on the giant canvas she was staring at. Lily Evans had never felt so small. She was frozen, completely unable to move. One thought kept spinning dizzily through her mind:_ What if I stumble? What if I slip? What if I fall?_

888

It had started quite innocently on Thursday morning over breakfast. Lily had been having a rather energetic chat with James, who was possessed of an uncanny ability to worm his way into her conversations, about the merits or otherwise of Quidditch. _Fool! She might have known it was a subject that would get him riled up._

He sat across the table from her, hazel eyes glowing in his pale face, gesturing vigorously with a piece of toast to prove his point, spraying crumbs everywhere.

"I'm sorry Evans, but you're just plain wrong. Quidditch is quite frankly amazing. The adrenalin rush, the cheering, the sheer skill involved…"

At this point he seemed to run out of words to describe exactly how wonderful Quidditch was and his face assumed a rapturous expression, eyes shining and distant, obviously reliving a match, nothing else seemed to exist for him.

Lily frowned and pursed her lips disapprovingly, her jade green eyes hard and unconvinced. "Well I can see that all the adoration players get would appeal to arrogant berks like you Potter, but otherwise it's just a stupid game. What's the point?" She put rested her elbows on the smooth warm wooden surface of the table and looked at him with a challenging expression.

He lent back in his chair looking as if he'd just been struck. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open in shock. "_Just a stupid game!"_ he gasped in horror "Evans, you have absolutely no idea! The soaring sensation when you kick off, _flying_, that's the damn point." His voice was squeaky with disbelief and incomprehension. Girls just never understood Quidditch, not even Lily Evans, the most fabulous girl in the world.

Lily's eyes clouded over and the frown lines on her wide forehead deepened. How could she reply when she had no personal experience?

"Well I wouldn't know about that as I've never actually been flying," she began hesitantly. It was at this point that the volcanic eruption took place.

"What!" yelled James, his face turning a rather unattractive shade purple. Most of the Gryffindor table turned around to look at them. Arguments between the Head Boy and Girl were always entertaining as well as gratifyingly frequent. You could usually count on at least one a day. "What do you mean you've _never been flying_!" he screamed, staring at her, eyes popping slightly.

"Just that, I've never been flying" said Lily, her voice silkily calm, with a dangerous edge. She folded her arms firmly and looked at him with as if daring him to say there was something wrong with that. Her whole body, stiff and perfectly poised to pounce, screamed that she was ready for a fight.

"She's never been flying" James muttered to himself, pushing his jet black hair out his eyes. His eyes were wide with confusion. Then suddenly it was like a light snapped on inside him. He lent forward, eyes sparking wickedly, and flashed Lily one of the light-bulb, heart-melting smiles he reserved specially for her. "Why don't we do something about that?" he said, in a low voice, bubbling with excitement. "Why don't I take you flying?"

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. She might have known he would turn this into a way to ask her out. Well she wasn't going to do it. Just because she hated James Potter, not because she was so terrified of heights she could barely climb the stairs without shaking. Not because of that at all.

"Because I, unlike you, have enough brain to realise that there is more to life than organised sport and because, as I have told you many, _many_ times, I'd rather date an acromantula than you." She drawled sarcastically.

"I'm not talking about a date; I'm talking about you not missing out on the greatest experience known to wizard kind. You can't live your life without _ever_ flying You just can't._" _He protested eagerly. His voice was coming out in fast, breathy leaps and he was gesturing with his breakfast again. Clearly this was something he felt very passionately about.

"Watch me!" Lily replied acidly. She'd had enough; she didn't have to put up with James Potters' nonsense. She pushed back her chair and strode out of the Great Hall with her head held high. A burst of pride leapt up inside her, she had walked away from Potter without cursing him. _Good job Lily _she thought. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

888

James Potter pestered her about it all that day, in every class they went to he found a way to sit next to her and whisper feverishly in her ear about _the joy of flight _and how she would be a complete fool not to let him take her. It took all her self restraint not to punch him, did he never give up? Sadly, as she knew from past experience, though as lazy as hell he could be damn persistent when he chose. Especially when it came to Lily Evans.

Finally, in charms the last class of the day, she turned round and with only a feeling of intense weariness saw him in the seat beside, grinning from ear to ear. She sighed. "This is harassment you know Potter" she said in an exhausted voice, under her breath to avoid being heard by Professor Flitwick. "What are you grinning about?" she added irritably

"I've thought of a way to make you come flying with me." He told her, almost bouncing up and down in his seat from excitement. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at her. He was obviously very pleased with himself. _He looks quite sweet really_ she thought _Just like a pleased puppy_, and then stopped in shock. Had she just had a positive thought about James Potter? Surely not.

"Go on then" she drawled wearily "What's the big idea?" She might as well hear what he had to say. It wasn't going to change her mind.

"If you come flying with me," he began his voice breathless with suppressed laughter and enthusiasm "I won't ask you out for the rest of the term." _There was a thought._ A whole eight weeks of peace, free from James' constant attention. To her very great surprise Lily laughed and smiled her face lighting up.

"Is that a bribe?" she asked impishly her eyes starting to sparkle as much as his. _What was it about James Potter that had her enraged one moment and giggling like a toddler the next? It was infuriating_.

"You're damn right it is!" he replied emphatically, smiling back at her. Then his expression suddenly softened and became more serious "Come on Lily, take a chance, trust me. You never know, you might even enjoy yourself." He said his voice low and almost pleading.

Perhaps it was his smile, perhaps it was the fact that that was the first time he'd ever used her first name, perhaps it was simply insanity, but Lily forgot that she couldn't bear heights, forgot that she couldn't bear James Potter. She simply shrugged and said "Ok."

888

Of course she sincerely regretted it afterwards, especially when he casually informed next day that he thought it would be far more exciting for her if she took her very first flight off the top of North Tower. But she wasn't going to back out, wasn't going to let James Potter see she was afraid. She'd never live it down.

So now she was trapped, too scared to scream, too scared to move. She was white, shaky. She felt sick. She could barely open her eyes and inside her head she was going mad. Was she really expected to act normally a hundred feet in the air? Was she really expected to jump off and fly? She was certain she was going to fall, tumble over the edge to oblivion. James was blissfully unaware of how awful she felt. He was completely secure, brimful of his characteristic confidence. Laughing, he jumped up on the low wall that surrounded the roof of North Tower and began to walk along it, arms out stretched for balance, swaying deliberately, showing off.

This was too much for Lily. She covered her eyes in her shaking hands and gave a low moan crouching down against the wall, gasping for breath. She thought she might throw up at any moment. James turned to look at her and for the first time took in how bad she was looking. "Lily, are you alright?" he asked in a low concerned voice, his arms dropping to his sides immediately, his face creasing in worry.

"I'm _just_ fine" she hissed through gritted teeth, her voice unnaturally high. At this moment she could cheerfully have strangled him, if it hadn't involved moving. He looked at her, and suddenly, with a feeling of amazement, he realised. "You're scared of heights." He said slowly. He expected her to deny this viciously but to his very great surprise she trembled and, eyes screwed shut, said "Yes, I'm terrified. Happy now Potter?" her voice shaky.

He jumped off the wall at once and knelt down beside her, slipping a strong arm round her waist. "It's OK Lily, It's Ok, breathe for me. That's right, breathe, in and out, slowly now" he said softly, his voice surprisingly gentle and reassuring. She felt herself beginning to relax, for some reason, with his arm around her she felt safe, _how strange._ She was able to open her eyes.

James gave her a guilty smile "I'm so sorry, I had no idea you were afraid of heights. I was an idiot to suggest this, we'll just go." He sounded genuinely apologetic. Relief flooded through as she heard the understanding in his voice, he was giving her a get out clause. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a worried voice

"I thought you'd laugh" she said, her breathing still not quite normal. "I've been hiding it for ages; I pulled a sicky in first year to get out of flying lessons." She felt ashamed now, ashamed that James Potter knew one of her biggest secrets, ashamed of her fear. She blushed hotly.

"I wouldn't have laughed" he said kindly, seriously. He helped her up slowly, still holding her round her waist. _Why didn't she want him to let go?_ She looked into his eyes, kind eyes she realised, and smiled. She felt suddenly safe, was there really so much danger of falling?

"Come on Lily, let's go. You don't have to put yourself through this." He said gently, making as if to lead her down the stairs. A very strange expression came over her face as she looked at him.

"No" she said slowly, half of her thought she was mad to be saying this but she knew she had to, or she would be trapped by fear for the rest of her life "No I want to stay, I want to fly"

He stared at her in amazement, a warm glow of admiration for her filling him slowly. "You sure?" he asked her uncertainly "Because you don't have to" He needed her to trust him, was she finally telling him she could? She nodded resolutely, stealing herself to face it, telling herself she could do it though her insides were turning to jelly

Then, blushing hotly, she finished what she had to say. She didn't think she'd ever had to do anything more embarrassing, _admitting she needed James Potter_ "I, I can't, can't do it on my own. Come with me." she said haltingly, stammering slightly. Well that wasn't so hard she thought

He nodded and smiled at her. "Of course I'll come with you Lily" he said eyes shining, but serious. "You can trust me" Looking at him, she knew she could.

"Are you sure you want this" he asked

"No, but I'm willing to try" she said, with a weak smile.

888

At first it was just as bad as she thought it was going to be. The wind rushed past her head. She felt her stomach drop away with the edge of North Tower. She screwed her eyes up tight, gripped the broom till her knuckles turned white and screamed her fear and desperation in the wild, whirling currents of air. She needed the ground badly; she was convinced they were going to crash, to die, to fall. She felt sick.

Then she felt James' arm tighten around her stomach and heard him breathe into her ear. "Open your eyes" he said, his voice bursting with adrenalin, excitement, pure joy. Slowly, oh so slowly she did as he said. They were high over the lake. It sparkled and danced azure below them. She could see grey-blue mountains in the distance. It was the whole world and it was…_beautiful._ Suddenly she understood what James meant by the _joy of flight. _She flung her arms wide and shouted for joy. James laughed softly behind her.

They landed smoothly on the soft emerald green Lawn at the front of Hogwarts castle and tumbled off the broom together laughing uncontrollably. Then they caught each others' eyes and suddenly they weren't laughing anymore. She smiled, blushing horribly, though she had no idea why. "You OK?" he asked gently

"Yeah," she replied and then, her blush deepening she said "Thank you James, you know you're not as bad as I thought you were"

Perhaps it was her smile, perhaps it was the fact that that was the first time she'd ever used his first name, Perhaps it was simply insanity but he leaned in and kissed her gently. She didn't punch him, she didn't push him away. In fact she put an arm round him and pulled him closer. She felt dizzy, half excited half terrified, but wonderful. She knew she never wanted it to stop.

Finally they drew apart. He gave her a crooked smile. She smiled shyly back.

"Are you sure you want this" he asked softly, slowly.

"No" she said, breathless and scared "but I'm willing to try."

It was only then that she realised she'd taken the most dangerous fall of all.

The End

Please review, pretty please with a cherry on top?


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